Manali gets snow, Kalpa at minus 4.6 degrees

Shimla: Fresh snow fell over Manali in Himachal Pradesh Saturday, making the tourist town more picturesque. The temperatures remained below the freezing point in many places in the state after three days of continuous snow and rain, a meteorological department official here told IANS. Kalpa, around 250 km from here, was the coldest at a minus 4.6 degrees Celsius. It saw 15 cm of snow.

Keylong, headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, recorded a low of minus 3.7 degrees Celsius. Temperatures were 2.1 degrees Celsius in Shimla and 7.4 degrees in Dharamsala. Manali, which saw a low of minus one degree, saw two cm of snow. Shimla was lashed by rain but nearby destinations Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda experienced moderate to heavy snowfall, the official said. The Rohtang Pass located at 13,051 feet high and 52 km from Manali saw 60 to 80 cm of snow since Friday, the met office said. The snow has cut off Kinnaur district and towns in Shimla district such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal, a government official said. The road link to towns in upper Shimla is likely to be restored by Sunday, the official said. Officials said the bad weather had affected road network in the higher reaches of Kinnaur, Shimla, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu and Sirmaur districts and efforts were being made to reopen them. The rain and snow are likely to continue till Sunday, said a Met official. IANS